5-Star will be pillar of government if exit polls confirmed - MP

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FILE PHOTO - 5-Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio shakes hands with Alfonso Bonafede, who would be Minister of Justice in any 5-Star government, during the presentation of the would-be cabinet team, ahead of election in Rome, Italy, March 1, 2018. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

ROME (Reuters) - Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement will be central to the next government if exit polls are confirmed from Sunday’s national elections, a prominent lawmaker from the party said.

“We will be a pillar of the legislature,” Alfonso Bonafede, a close ally of 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio, said in comments broadcast on La7 television, adding that the early data needed to be read with caution.

Exit polls showed 5-Star as the largest party by a wide margin, although a centre-right coalition including former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi looked set to win the most seats.